Ghana Day 2

well.. this is the most amazing experience I have ever had.  First my son is AMAZING.  I love being with him and learning his sounds and facial expressions.  Neither one of us likes to leave each other at night.  He fought back tears tonight when I was leaving.  How in the world will we survive next Wednesday night? Only by God's grace....

This morning at the guest house where we are staying we had a great breakfast - french toast, coffee, bacon.... it was SO WONDERFUL..... hungry for breakfast in the morning now!

Accra is so....unique.  I found out it is the most expensive city in all of Africa.  95% of the people make $3 a day.  There are shanty's next to large mansions...people walking the street selling everything...belts, jumper cables, fruit, maps, weight scales, knives, shoes, large snails, water, tummy trimmer, harmonicas, pencils, flags, fabric.... all while you are stopped in long lines of traffic with the windows down... sticking things thru the window....cripples on skateboards asking for money.  The people here are beautiful.  There are large trees. Great pineapples. Interesting smells."Welcome" everywhere you enter.  

The house moms at BH are amazing and infinitely valuable.  Mom Shelter and Mom Sahada.  

The kids are obedient and the expectations are high.  

Today for lunch we were served yams (white and potato texture, not much flavor), fried plantains, and some sort of greens with a good sauce.

Bankou and okra stew for dinner - we passed on that one. :)

I took Apollo to get his medical done for his visa today.  We were dropped off in the middle of a market area and had to go to 2 different places to get his photos and then we walked to the medical building.  It all went fine and no hard questions or pressure.  As we waited for George (our driver) we bought oranges from a woman with a baby on her back.  They were good and sweet - Apollo tore into one right away.  We went for the lab (a stool sample - poor kid) and I bought Cokes to celebrate.  It was his 1st one ever - he only had a few sips but he liked it. 

Back to the orphanage to play and sing and dance - lots of loving and laughing with the kids.  Apollo and I are learning each other and I am trying to earn the trust that a child should be able to have in his mother.  We are playful and affectionate - but he is not fond of sharing me with 29 other kids.  

After seeing his life here and all that it is, the transition scares me a little.  His ENTIRE world will be different. Food, clothes, routine, family, friends, environment, weather, toys, expectations....

yes, it will be fun and some of those changes he will see as good and exciting, but I know some of them will be scary and hard.

Looking forward to tomorrow - more hugs, more trust, more prayers, more tears ( i cry daily) more opportunities, more sweat, more thirst, more smiles, more bonding, more missing my family back home, more adventure,  more soaking up God's abundant goodness.